The Colorado Rockies aren’t expected to be major players in free agency this winter, still any additions to the roster will in the form or minor league deals and cost-controlled short-term deals that pave the way for developmental time for some of their top prospects. On Sunday MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reports that the Rockies have agreed to a minor league deal with catcher Austin Nola with an invitation to spring training.

Nola, 35 and the brother of catcher Aaron Nola, comes full circle with the signing having originally been drafted out of high school by the Rockies in the 48th round back in 2008 before he opted to go to college at LSU. He was eventually drafted by the Miami Marlins in 2012 and finally signed but failed to reach the big leagues, becoming a free agent in 2018. He caught up with the Seattle Mariners in 2019, making his debut at the age of 29 and appeared to burst onto the scene with a .269/.342/.454 slash and 10 home runs in 79 at-bats.

During the shortened season, he enjoyed a strong 29 games with the Mariners in 2020, batting .306/.373/.531 with five home runs and 19 RBI in 110 plate appearances. He was traded to the Padres that season, playing in 19 games to the tune of a .222 AVG. His production steadily declined over the next three seasons at the plate but he was still getting regular at-bats as recent as 2022 before a rough year in 2023 led to a non-tender.

He joined the Brewers in the offseason but was cut as spring training began and found his way to the Kansas City Royals on a split contract. Nola found himself in Triple-A Omaha all season, aside from a brief stint on the big league club in which he didn’t play. Due to the production and durability of Salvador Perez and Freddy Fermin the Royals found no need to use Nola and he didn’t help his case after slashing .174/.260/.298 over 191 plate appearances with Triple-A Omaha.

How he fits into the Rockies’ plans will certainly be of interest. In search of a major league role again, the path is more likely in Colorado than perhaps elsewhere. The team re-signed veteran receiver Jacob Stallings after his strong 2024 campaign to serve as their primary catcher and project to have multi-utility man Hunter Goodman or top catching project Drew Romo split time with Stallings. Additionally, the team has catcher Willie MacIver who has yet to make his major league debut and recently re-signed with the club after being a minor league free agent.

As of now, the plan seems to have Nola serve as a catcher in Triple-A Albuquerque, where the Rockies are hoping to see more of their top pitching prospects if they don’t break camp with the club. He earned strong defensive marks as an above-average framer and blocker early in his career but in 2022 and 2023 received poor grades while possessing average arm strength. Despite the lack of quality on both sides of the ball, his experience and role as a depth piece still hold its use for a team like the Rockies.